Mike's Computer Notes (03.17.11)

EVER NEED TO pick a truly random number?  Head on over to RANDOM.ORG!  This mostly free website can help you pick lotto tickets, hold a sweepstakes, randomize a list of names and a whole lot more.  The site is ideally suited as a professional third party draw service for a promotional sweepstakes (large and small).  They even let the participants verify the results for five years.  According to the site owners, the "true" randomness comes from atmospheric noise, which for many purposes is better than the pseudo-random number algorithms typically used in computer programs.  Although it is new to me, the service has existed since 1998 and was built and is being operated by Mads Haahr of the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin in Ireland. 

WINDOWS 7 SERVICE PACK 1 (SP1) is now available via Windows Update in Control Panel.  I upgraded my office laptop (recent model Gateway) last night and it seems to have gone smoothly.  If you plan on upgrading, note that the process took about an hour.  Most of it was automatic, but one reboot was required.  For more install information, click here.

AT&T PLANS TO IMPLEMENT data caps on DSL and U-verse broadband cable subscribers.  Yes, you read that right, if AT&T has their way you can kiss your "unlimited" high speed internet service goodbye.  DSL customers will be capped at 150GB per month and U-verse customers 250GB.  Exceed the limit three times and be prepared to fork over an additional $10 for every 50GB used.  150/250GB might sound like a lot, but it is easy to exceed that amount if one streams a lot of movies or music and/or downloads large files frequently.  I imagine even my elderly Mother might go over the limit because she is fond of streaming movies from Netflix using a Roku box.  To learn more about this issue and how to fight back visit Stop the Cap!  Take a few minutes to get involved and tell your representatives in Congress that you oppose Internet data limits and unjustified over the limit fees and penalties.  AT&T and other broadband providers enjoy massive profits under the current "all you can eat" pricing schemes.  Netflix has now spoken out against the proposed caps as "anti-consumer" and the "absolute wrong direction of what consumers want."  Democratic Representative Edward Markey has also expressed serious concern over the proposal and noted the lack of real competition in the broadband ISP market.

WHY BUY GRAPH paper at the store when you can print your own?  Check out these PDFs created by Kevin MacLeod.  "Downloadable and very printable."  There are also some handy writing and note-taking styles on the page as well.  Another page features PDF Calenders; both yearly and monthly can be created.  And while you are there, don't miss Kevin's awesome free royalty-free music collection.  Creative attorneys could use this quality music for advertisements, podcasts, presentations and the like!  All you have to do is give the guy credit, but donations are appreciated.

IF YOU DIGITIZE your music collection, you may soon miss the covers and artwork from the CDs.  It's possible to scan them, but that takes forever.  Who has the time?  An easier solution is to visit AllCDCovers.com.  The interface sort of sucks and the site's own search button often returns an "Internal Server Error 500" message to me, but when you do find the CD you want, the payoff is worth it.  Many of the CD scans here are beautifully done and many discs in the catalog have the back cover, CD and inlay!  Check out this page for Carrie Underwood's Some HeartsCD as an example.  Use Google to find the pages you need easily (e.g. search for "carrie underwood some hearts allcdcovers.com").  Another alternative is visiting Amazon and checking the customer uploaded images.  For instance: Some Hearts Customer Image Gallery.

WINRAR 4.0 HAS been released after a long beta cycle!  WinRAR is my favorite archive manager.  It can backup your data and greatly reduce the size of e-mail attachments.  Plus it can create and decompress both RAR and ZIP archives.  RAR shines when creating very large archives split into smaller chunks.  It also has neat features like AES encryption and a protection feature to help recover corrupt archives.  Version 4.0 is substantially faster than earlier versions.  "RAR decompression speed is improved. Depending on data type, decompression can be up to 30% faster than in previous versions. Both the general RAR algorithm and most of special RAR multimedia methods benefit from this improvement. The only module of RAR algorithm, which is not affected, is "Text compression" method."  A trial version is available before you buy it, but go ahead and buy it, you won't regret it and I've never been charged to upgrade! 

MICROSOFT HAS UNLEASHED Internet Explorer 9 with the catchphrase "Fast is now beautiful."  However, if you use XP, you will have to endure the same old ugly web; it's only available for Vista and Windows 7 users.  With IE 9 the emphasis is on dramatically faster graphics rendering and a more streamlined look, similar to Google's Chrome.  In addition, the integration with Windows 7 is much tighter and the browser now includes useful "pinning" features and Jump Lists.  Less sexy enhancements include an enhanced download manager and improved security features to protect against malware. I just installed IE 9 last night and will report my impressions at a later date.  The upgrade took about 30 minutes.

AS AN INCENTIVE to upgrade now and try out IE 9's new Pin and Jump List features, several popular websites are running cool promotions in the coming weeks in conjunction with Microsoft.  Hulu will be giving away 1 free month of Hulu Plus for users who pin Hulu.  Slacker is also giving away a free month of it's subscription internet radio service for users who pin the website to their taskbar.  eBay will be giving away discount coupons or eBay bucks for users who use the Jump List and pin features and last but not least, Groupon is offering $5 in Groupon Bucks when making a first purchase using the IE 9 jump list.

I will end this post with an old Irish Blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-- Michael

Mike's Computer Notes (02.25.11)

THERE'S A LOT of software programs that can rip your CD collection to your hard disk, but the best I've encountered is dBpoweramp.  Why do I like it?  First, it works in conjunction with AccurateRip, a massive online database that stores the correct CRC value for zillions of CDs.  As soon as you rip a track, even using the super fast "burst" method, it generates the CRC and compares it to the data collected by AccurateRip from other people who ripped the same CD.  If the values match, you can be confident you have a bit-perfect rip!  At present only a handful of rippers support this fantastic feature.  But there's more.  dBpoweramp also does an outstanding job at automatically completing all the meta tags for your tracks (i.e. track name, artist, album etc.).  It actually usesfive online providers to check and compare information to arrive at "PerfectMeta" tags. The last awesome feature I like in dBpoweramp is how it automatically retrieves album artwork, inserts it in the file and creates folder.jpg copies in the album folder.  These three features save a huge amount of time and help insure you wind up with excellent digital library.  I typically rip discs to FLAC (a lossless format) and at a later date create smaller MP3 and WMA versions.  When you spend the time to rip your library, do it once and do it right!

LOOKING FOR A powerful, free screen capture utility?  Try the last freeware version of FastStone Capture.  The program is now shareware, but this portable free version from 2007 can still be distributed.  Click here to download a copy.  If your screen capture needs are extensive and you have the budget for it, I suggest SnagIt orFullShot.

APPLE ANNOUNCED A powerful new line of Intel based Macbook Pro laptops this week.  According to a Bloomberg wire article, "The laptops feature a new technology calledThunderbolt that was developed by Intel Corp. to transfer data, including data, including video at high speeds..."  How high of a speed?  Well, frankly it sounds too good to be true.  According to the article, it would be possible to transfer an entire Blu-Ray movie (typically 25-50 GB) in less than thirty seconds.  If true, that is about twice as fast as the recent USB 3.0 standard.  Thunderbolt transfers at about 10 GB a second whereas USB 3.0 transfers at five.  Mere mortals like myself who still use the ubiquitous USB 2.0 have to chug along at 480MB a second.  For a detailed speed comparison of the new technologies click here.  One of the new Macbook Pros with a 15" screen will set you back about $1800 at present: Apple MacBook Pro MC721LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop.

I HEARD ON the news this morning that the instability in Libya may affect the Internet in unexpected ways.  For instance, if the government shuts down the Internet there, the popular link shortening website bit.ly may no longer work.  The "ly" in the suffix stands for Libya!  I have used bit.ly extensively in conjunction with my Twitter accounts.  I hope corporation, which is based in New York has a plan for this contingency.  Mother Jones published a good article this month that clearly explains what is happening in Libya.

CHINA HAS BEGIN blocking the popular business networking site LinkedIn after Chinese members began to discuss the recent revolutions that overturned governments in the Middle East.  A least one member suggested that Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution should spread to the Asian country.  Linked in has about 90 million members worldwide.  1 million of them are Chinese.  This does not bode well for those who had hoped the Chinese government might reopen Twitter and Facebook soon.  And of course, this censorship decision is obviously at odds with China's goal of developing global trade and human rights. Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.  

AFFORDABLE AND EASY to use software to manage a law office is harder to find than a needle in a haystack.  But that may be changing.  I recently learned about WinYou Law 2010.  WinYou Law is an all-in-one program to help you organize and manage clients, cases, projects, contacts and documents while also managing your time, billing and calendar.  The cost for a solo practitioner is only $199 with no annual subscription fee required.  That's less than I paid just for a copy of Quickbooks Pro.  The program is closely integrated with Microsoft Office and network versions are available for firms.  Check out the free, fully functional trial version here!

DO YOU FEEL lost when it comes to integrating social media in your practice?  If so, consider purchasing Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier, by (lawyers) Carolyn Elefant and Nicole Black and published by the ABA.  The authors attempt to show lawyers how to use a practical, goal-centric approach to social media.   They note toward the end of the book that "Technology is here to stay and ignoring it is no longer an option..... It's time for the legal profession to pull its collective head out of the sand when it comes to social media, emerging technologies, and the Internet."  The sole reviewer on Amazon gives it a big thumbs up and says the book is a "comprehensive guide to help lawyers and other legal professionals understand the impact social media has had on the way consumers and in-house counsel find and select lawyers to solve their legal problems. The book is informal, written in clear and easy-to-understand language, and is chock full of illustrations and details."  Did you update your blog and tweet today?

That's it for now.  Have a great weekend everyone!

-- Michael

Mike's Computer Notes (02.19.11)

NOT TOO LONG ago I purchased a HP desktop computer.  I was checking the HP support page for updates this morning and learned about an alarming Intel chipset design error that may affect certain recent desktop and notebook PCs manufactured by HP and other companies.  "On January 31, 2011 Intel announced that they “discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and have implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially affecting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives.”  The computers affected are based on 2nd generation Intel Core processors.  If your computer was purchased after January 09, 2011, you may be affected.  HP is offering an exchange or refund, but other manufacturers may or may not follow suit.  For more information about this issue from Intel, click here.

I'M GLAD TO see the prices of Blu-Ray burners finally fall to a more reasonable price.  Last week for the first time I saw an internal drive (by LG) advertised for well under $100 at Fry's.  Even external units, which are always more pricey are becoming affordable.  I'm tempted to finally take the plunge.  For me, the big attraction is increased data capacity for backup purposes. Media files especially photos and video are just too gigantic these days -- even for DVDs.  Sony has a slim 6x external drive that is calling me.  On-line reviews are generally very good except for people upset that it requires a power cord (not a problem for me).  Another possibility is an 12x LG drive that sells for about the same price ($200) but is bulkier and may not be fully compatible with Windows 7.  Of course these drives also burn CDs and DVDs as well.  If you are ready to bite, Newegg is offering a 15% discount on external models this holiday weekend.  I'd post the promo code, but I believe you have to obtain it through their e-mail newsletter.

DID YOU KNOW that Goodwill now runs an online auction site?  It looks like selected stores from across America are participating.  If you don't mind wading through lots of old obsolete junk and stuff that doesn't work, some tech bargains can be had.  Here's the link the computers and electronics listings.  I picked up nearly new spare DSL modem on there this week for about $10.  In my experience, these tend to burn out after about 3 years and I like to keep a replacement handy.  If you would rather donate to Goodwill, remember that you can deduct your charitable, non-cash donations.  Consider donating your old office equipment and furniture to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and be sure to get a written receipt.  If you get audited and you have no receipt, the deduction will be disallowed.

I MOVE GROUPS of similar files around on my computer systems all the time.  However, it can be very tedious to copy, cut, delete, or move multiple files by selecting them one at a time in Windows 7.  There's a better way.  If the files are together in continuous order, click on the first file you wish to select.  Then hold down the Shift key and keep it pressed.  Now select the last file you wish to select and release the Shift key.  Ta-da!  Windows will select the first and last files you picked and everything in-between.  This is especially handy when moving large batches of files by date (such as photos) or extension (such as all the .zip files in a given folder).  This tip also works in Windows XP and Vista. 

MASHABLE RECENTLY ASKED Is Reddit on the Rise?  If you are not paying attention to this relatively low profile site that features "user generated news links", maybe you should be.  With Reddit, you can link "to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture..."  The article points out that Digg is sinking like the Titanic while Reddit continues to at an astonishing pace. It now receives 1 billion page views per month a 300% year over year increase. That's good enough for Reddit to pull an Alexa ranking of #54 of all websites in the USA.  Attorneys should think about how they can incorporate Reddit in their practice.  

GET A FREE Demo of Abacus Law by filling out the short form on this page.  "Abacus Law is fully integrated practice management software, you will be able to work more efficiently, lower risk and improve client service."

EASY TIP TO improve your law practice ... make your client intake forms available on your website so that prospective clients can download them and fill them out before the consultation.  This also permits you to e-mail prospective clients a link, rather than using a file attachment which hogs space and can cause confusion on the receiver end.  If you use Gmail, you may wish to consider creating a public folder in Google Documents and putting PDF versions of your intake forms in there as well. Again, it's an easy way to link to them directly, especially if you stash the urls in a handy place like Evernote.   

IS ANYONE USING Microsoft One Note in their law office?  One Note comes with some versions of Microsoft Office or can be purchased separately for about $80.  I'm an (recent) Office 2010 user but I must admit, I have never tried it.  Now that I've seen how enthusiastic others are about it on the net, I am going to to take it for a spin soon.  Microsoft describes it as "a digital notebook that provides a single place where you can gather all of your notes and information, with the added benefits of powerful search capabilities to find what you are looking for quickly, plus easy-to-use shared notebooks so you can manage information overload and work together with others more effectively. Sounds idea for a lawyers (as well as small business owners, researchers, journalists and students).  One Note can make use of templates, and I notice on the Microsoft Office site, there were some for attorneys.  Here's one called "Legal Client Notebook" and another called Legal Practice Notebook.  OneNote can be purchased and downloaded immediately at the Microsoft Store: Microsoft OneNote 2010 Download

SPEAKING OF THE Microsoft Store, during the holiday weekend, they are having a good sale on PCs. Microsoft Store's President's Day Sale! Save $150 on a new PC for a limited time.  

That's it for now.  Have a great President's Day weekend!

-- Michael  

P.S. THIS POSTING IS in the style of "Tom's Computer Notes" which was a simple computer newsletter distributed in the late 80's and early 90's on BBS systems.  I have no idea who Tom was or what became of him, but I always enjoyed reading his bulletins.  Does anyone know if he is still around?

My New Toshiba E-105 - Easy Come, Easy Go!

Hello Readers!

Sorry for not updating this blog much lately.  I've been buried with work at the office and dreary administrative tasks that are time traps.  I am going to make a special effort to update this blog more regularly even if the posts are brief.  Here's a brief up

In late July, I purchased a new "Blue Label" Toshiba laptop (E-105-S1602) sold exclusively at Best Buy to replace an aging Acer (5000 series).  The Acer had proved to be a reliable machine for the past four years, but it was starting to be plagued with random blue screen of death problems.   The Blue Label series at Best Buy features laptops with the fancy features that customers want most, over and above the standard offerings. 

 

In this case, the E-105 I purchased featured a relatively fast Core 2 Duo P7350 processor, a fingerprint scanner for secure logons, roomy 500 GB hard drive, 4 MB RAM, webcam, FM radio, 14.1 inch display with 1280x800 resolution, HDMI port, 3 USB ports, eSATA/USB port, multi-format memory card reader, built in Wi-Fi, Ethernet, bluetooth and a double layer DVD burner with Labelflash.  Plus it had an extended battery life of nearly five hours (!), a two year warranty, lighted keyboard and Norton Antivirus with a 18 month subscription.  All this computer power was packaged into a stylish, compact case that was well suited for traveling at just a hair over five pounds.  The price was about $800, which was very reasonable at the time.  The E-105-S1602 shipped with Vista, but was eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade.  Until now, all my computers ran Windows XP and I was hoping to avoid the Vista debacle entirely.

This tangent alone could easily fill many blog posts, but trying to use Microsoft Vista for the first time proved to be quite frustrating.  It was still Windows so I was not totally lost, but at the same time, so many things were different I had to spend a substantial amount of time just trying to accomplish tasks that formerly were easy to do in XP.  It was highly annoying the changes killed my productivity while adding little to my computing experience.  Software publishers should be very cautious when changing familiar interfaces.  Change for sake of change (or to sell a new version of software short on real improvements) is a cardinal sin. 

Also, the Toshiba shipped with the 64 bit version of Vista and I encountered quite a few programs in my regular arsenal that were incompatible.  I'm not talking about ancient programs from the DOS days, I'm talking about programs that worked fine with XP.  One such program is Word Pro, part of IBM's Lotus SmartSuite.  I've used SmartSuite going all the way back to the mid 90's when I attended law school and nearly all my word processing documents are in this format.  IBM has pretty much stopped development on the software package, which was once a serious competitor to Microsoft Office.   Other programs were compatible, but had problems installing properly.  For example, EZ-Filing Bankruptcy software totally bombed during installation.  After calling technical support, I was told I needed to disable Vista's User Account Control (UAC), a feature that increases security, but also causes headaches for programmers and end computer users alike.  It took about a month before I finished adding all the different programs I needed for my office.

Unfortunately, in September, my office building was burglarized.  My office and about ten other executive suites were broken into.  The thugs made off mainly with computers, cash and any credit cards they could find.  My new Toshiba laptop described above was stolen during this incident.  All the struggle and time spent tweaking the machine was for nothing.  What can you do?  As they say, easy come, easy go.

I only got to work with that computer for a couple months, but that was long enough to gain some insights about it.  First, the E-105 was very fast!  It zipped through installations (when they worked) and all my software programs performed well.  You could especially see the blazing performance when compressing files or encoding MP3s.  I also really liked the form factor of the case (described by Toshiba as "airy") and super long battery life.  The computer is only 1.2 inches thick and quite light making it perfect to grab and go.  I never had a laptop that even approached how long the batteries would last on this machine.  Also, the fingerprint scanner was very cool. 

On the downside, the E-105 had absolutely atrocious sound quality.  The distortion was unbearable even at a moderate volume level.  Headphones and external speakers or a sound bar are an absolute necessarily with this series.  Also, the keyboard has touch buttons on right hand side for common functions such as "play" and volume control.  My hands had a tendency to inadvertently hit these controls at times during normal typing.  This was a considerable annoyance as it would often cause a media file to suddenly start playing or the sound to become very loud or soft.  Lastly, the 14.1" LCD screen had a beautiful display, but I found it a tad small in practice for my middle-age eyes.  In the future, unless I am buying a netbook, I think I will stick with 15" or higher displays only!

If you are interested in purchasing an E-105 laptop, click on the link below.  The model below is the E105-S1802, a slightly upgraded model available for about $800.

Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor - Mocha

-- Michael

Twitter Matters

I assume most readers of this blog have heard about Twitter by now.  If not, proceed immediately to the Twitter site and sign up for a free account.  In the past year, Twitter has grown from 2 million users to 32 million users.  You need to be on Twitter period.

The recent Time Magazine cover story by Steven Johnson on the service was the best Twitter related article I have read to date.  The article is an in-depth but thoroughly interesting examination of the Twitter phenomena that should be read by established Twitter users and those who have never even tried it.  It not only explains what Twitter is and how it began, it explains why it is important and how it will change the world.  That sounds like a tall order for Twitter to fill, but witness the recent citizen reporting on the political upheaval in Iran and all the sudden it doesn't seem so far fetched.  It's notable and amazing that the State Department has been"consulting" with Twitter and may have been involved in delaying  a scheduled maintenance this past Monday so as to permit the flow of conversation from Iran to continue without interruption.  See, Twitter matters.  Also be sure to read  "10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business", another recent article from Time. 

Power Twitter users should check out Seesmic Desktop.  This is a relatively new application for PCs and Macs built with Adobe AIR.  I've been using this program for about a month and give it a thumbs up!  Seesmic makes it easy to manage multiple Twitter accounts and follow conversations.  It often makes good sense to have a personal Twitter account and a business Twitter account.  That way, you can take full advantage of Twitter's possibilities without posting content inappropriate to your followers. Seesmic also integrates nicely with Facebook and lets you group social contacts into related lists (such as co-workers, friends, family).  The program installs easily, has been stable for me on multiple computers and is a piece of cake to use.  Seesmic is free (at least for now).

Just the other day I received notification that version 0.3 of Seesmic Desktop is coming out soon.  Enhancements include multi-account posting with "smart account enabling", authenticated bit.ly integration permitting you to keep track of of URL clicks when sharing short links with followers, an "integrated services panel" that works in conjunction with popular Twitter photo sharing add-ons such as TwitPic and Twitgoo and further improvements to the user interface.

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Speaking of Time Magazine,  I came across a comment by Jeff Korhan on Mashable, an excellent resource for everything that relates to social media.  Jeff wrote, "Thanks for the [article about the Twitter article in Time], but I'm wondering who reads Time magazine anymore unless you are at the dentist's office?  Well for the record, I am a Time subscriber and I think it's an excellent way for busy people to keep on top of current events including technology trends.  The articles are well written and offer more measured perspective than the daily newspaper.  Plus it's a great value and tax deductible to boot.  Amazon offers a 1 year subscription (52 issues) for just $20.  At the time this article was written, Amazon is offering an additional five bucks off, making it a steal!  For those of you on the bleeding edge, there's a Kindle electronic edition for $1.49 a month, but some subscribers are unhappy because it lacks many of the photographs and graphics of the print edition. 

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Looking for a way to fun way to cut travel costs this summer?  Consider signing up for Spirit Airline's new $9 Fare Club.  Members will receive exclusive special offers at least once every six weeks with fares "as low as a penny!"  Dang, I'd be willing to fly almost anywhere for a penny just to look around!  Unfortunately, Spirit doesn't fly out of Sacramento, but they do have gates at many other major US cities including Boston, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.  And they fly to cool resorts such as Costa Rica, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.  Sounds tempting, even if I would have to drive to the Bay Area to board my flight!  The cost to be a member of this super savers club is $39 annually.

-- Michael

P.S. -- You can find me on Twitter as lawtechgeek and mwcrosson.  The latter account relates more to my law practice in general rather than tech stuff.  I represent clients in the Sacramento region in family law and bankruptcy matters.

Microsoft Bing Debuts!

"Live Search is evolving.  Welcome to Bing."

Microsoft's new search engine, "Bing" is open for business (in "preview") mode.  The interface is simple, attractive and much more colorful than the spartan Google page since it features topical photographs.  It appears that the photographs will change throughout the week but if you have Silverlight installed, you can view photos from the past.  The bottom of the home page shows searches that are currently hot and the results page keeps track of your search history, a handy feature.  Some early detractors have already dismissed it as simply a "dressed up Live Search" while some smarty pants pointed out that Bing could stand for "But It Isn't Google."  However, these critics are missing one of the main points of Bing.

A major developmental goal with Bing was to create a search engine that helps you make better decisions.  The following snippet is from the Welcome page:

"We took a new approach to go beyond search to build what we call a decision engine. With a powerful set of intuitive tools on top of a world class search service, Bing will help you make smarter, faster decisions. We included features that deliver the best results, presented in a more organized way to simplify key tasks and help you make important decisions faster."

I find this concept intriguing, but also puzzling at the same time. I mostly use search engines to find information, but not necessarily to make decisions.  Even when I do need to make a decision, the role of the search engine is limited mainly to helping me locate insightful information on other websites.  I generally have no expectation that the search engine itself will play a part in choosing option A over option B.  In fact, a neutral search engine seems appealing to me, and this may not be possible if Bing is going to proactively present information in a format that helps sway users one way or the other.

So to make this less abstract, what kind of decisions are we talking about here?  It's not entirely clear to me what Microsoft has in mind, but the Bing tour gives some clues.  It references helping users decide which flight to book, which freeway would be best to take and which hotel to reserve.  Too bad I already have an established decision process for making travel plans that I am happy with.  It also speaks of "supercharged" buying decisions and "Honda vs. Hummer."  So far, it sounds like a mishmash between Expedia, Pricegrabber, Consumer Reports and the endless traffic updates on AM radio. 

Is this what we want out of a search engine?  Does your decision making process rely heavily on search engines?  If not, do you think Bing could change the way you do things?

-- Michael

The Brother Toner Tape Trick & Hot Deal on Fanurio Time Billing Software!

With the crummy current economy, I think everyone appreciates some money saving tips.  I'll share them whenever possible on this blog if they relate to technology.

In my office and home, my first choice for laser printers are Brother models.  Brother printers and multi-function machines are usually offered at a bargain price, tough as nails and dependable in my experience.  Most of the time  they just work, and that's what counts the most to me.  I abhor wasting time fooling around with paper jams and temperamental printer drivers.  The MFC models also offer a lot of bang for the buck in terms of cool features.  Sometimes I marvel at all the amazing functions they pack into a until that sells for about $150 (or less).  At this point I've owned quite a few Brother models over the years and I was always more pleased with them than other brands I have tried.  I've had very frustrating experiences with HP, Xerox and Panasonic.  Also, Brother toner supplies are relatively economical compared to some brands.  The current model I am using at my office is DCP-7040  (pictured above) which takes TN-330 or TN-360 toner cartridges.  It works fabulously as a compact and easy to use black and white laser printer, (color) sheet fed scanner and digital copier.

That said, I often have not felt I was getting the full use of the toner cartridge.  In other words, the "Toner Empty" message would pop up on the screen too soon and force me to trek to Office Max for a replacement.  This is very annoying when you just know, there's no way you got 1500 (or 2600) sheets out of it! 

The last time this happened to me, I searched for the toner online in the hopes of finding a discount source for it.  While checking out the price at one of my favorite tech stores, Newegg, I came across some very helpful information affectionatly known as a the Brother "Tape Trick."  Here it is in the original poster's words, "To solve the End of life for the toner, take a little piece of tape (cannot be clear tape) and cover over the little circular window on the right side of the cartridge. This effectively tricks the printer into thinking there is still full toner."  I tried it and it works great! 

By the way, Newegg's price on Brother toner is outstanding.  Right now, the TN-330 cartriges are only $32.89and the higher yield TN-360 is only $47.84.  Even better, both ship free!  As a comparison, the same toner atStaples is currently $56.69 and $68.29 and if you buy three, the price drops to $55.00 and $66.00 -

- whoopie!  See what I mean, go Newegg!

Newegg Shopping Links:

brother TN330 Black Toner Cartridge For HL-2140 and HL-2170W Printers
brother TN360 Black High Yield Toner Cartridge For HL-2140 and HL-2170W Printers
brother DCP Series MFC / All-In-One Monochrome Laser Printer  

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One of my favorite software sites to check out on a daily basis is Bits Ju Dour.  This site features quality software from small publishers on sale at a hefty discount for one day only. 

Today, Bits Ju Dour is offering a program that may be interest to attorneys in solo practice.  It's a Time Tracking and Billing Management program called Fanurio.  From the product description:

"Fanurio is a great piece of time tracking software that’s specifically designed to be used by freelancers, providing the tools to accurately bill your time and get paid. Besides its intuitive interface, Fanurio offers a flexible timer to track your hours and the ability to produce detailed invoices that are customized to your own look and feel. After all, just because you're freelance doesn't mean that you shouldn't be professional."  

Personally, I've used Intuit's Quickbooks at my office since 1996.  I'm really not a big fan, but not motivated enough to change from it.  However, if you are just starting out or unhappy with your current time and billing software, why not give Fanurio a try?  It's available today only for the special price of $23.60.  Yes, that's less than the price of a pizza delivered to your home.  After today, the price of Fanurio goes up to $59.00 -- still an amazing bargain.  My bloated copy of Quickbooks Pro "Professional Services Edition" on the other hand costs hundreds of dollars (about $300 to be exact) and I probably only use 20% of the features.  The standalone timer, is a total joke and hasn't been updated in over a decade as far as I can tell.  It was so bad, I stopped using it completely.

If you try out Fanurio in your law office, please let me know how it works out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

-- Michael